An intervention designed to increase positive affect in a population newly diagnosed with HIV will be effective at improving affect and HIV-related outcomes such as mental and physical health, coping and coping resources.

Further study details as provided by University of California, San Francisco:

Primary Outcome Measures:

Determine the efficacy of the Intervention for those Recently Informed of their Seropositive Status (IRISS) for increasing the frequency and intensity of positive affect in men and women newly diagnosed with HIV. [ Time Frame: During the intervention and at 5- 10- and 15-months after diagnosis. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

Effects on outcomes and if increases in positive affect are responsible for improvements; effects of individual facets on affect and outcomes; and, evaluate extent to which personality, se status, race/ethn, & stress level, moderate effects on outcomes. [ Time Frame: At 15 months post diagnosis ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

There are 5 weekly sessions which will be approximately one hour long and will consist of personal interview. The interviews will include both quantitative and qualitative questions. Each session will have a separate theme including: Life 1) History; 2) Health History; 3) Personality; 4) Social Networking; and, 5) Meaning & Purpose.

Detailed Description:

The study is a randomized controlled trial of a 5-session positive affect skills intervention compared to an attention-matched control condition. Participants will be 200 men and women who have tested positive for HIV within the past 12 weeks. Both intervention and control sessions will be approximately one hour long and will be administered one-on-one by trained facilitators. Both groups will have daily home practice over the 5 weeks of the intervention. At the end of the assessment period, participants in the control condition will have the opportunity to attend a ½ day group session that provides a condensed version of the positive affect skills taught in the intervention condition. Participants will complete assessments at four points and CD4 and viral load assays will be run at 3 time points.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and older

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

have been informed they were HIV positive within the past 12 weeks

speak English or Spanish

be 18 years or older

have the ability to provide informed consent to be a research participant.

Exclusion Criteria:

inability to provide informed consent, as evidenced by cognitive impairment as assessed by trained interviewers and confirmed by a licensed clinical psychologist

active psychosis as assessed by trained interviewers and confirmed by clinical psychologist

Contacts and Locations

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For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00720733